Koepka to become world No. 1 after CJ Cup win

PGA TOUR player Branden Grace has withdrawn from the Barracuda Championship prior to the third round after testing positive for COVID-19. “I felt great all week,” said Grace. “Last night, I was tired and thought it had to do with the altitude. This morning, I notified the PGA TOUR about my symptoms before going to the golf course. I wanted to get tested out of respect for my peers and everyone involved with the tournament. While it is unfortunate given my position on the leaderboard, the most important thing is our health.” The PGA TOUR has implemented its response plan in consultation with medical experts, including working with those who may have had close contact with Grace. Grace’s caddie tested negative for COVID-19, but in accordance with CDC guidelines and TOUR health and safety protocols, he will quarantine for a period of 14 days. After conducting necessary contact tracing, the TOUR’s medical advisors are not recommending any additional testing at this time. Grace will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation period of 10 days per CDC guidelines and TOUR health and safety protocols.

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Bryson DeChambeau makes his first PGA TOUR title defense, while Francesco Molinari seeks victory in back-to-back starts as the Quad Cities hosts its annual Open Championship prelude with one berth at Carnoustie still to be handed out. Steve Stricker, still the last man to execute a PGA TOUR three-peat when he prevailed in 2009-11, is back for his 17th appearance at TPC Deere Run. That’s the same as 2012 champion and JDC board member Zach Johnson. FIELD NOTES: Molinari, who breezed to victory at the Quicken Loans National, and DeChambeau (the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide) are among seven of this season’s tournament winners set to compete. … The lineup also includes six of the top 25 in the FedExCup standings. … Davis Love III makes his first PGA TOUR start since May, though he recently tied for 10th at the U.S. Senior Open. Son Dru Love also got an invite to Deere Run. … Dylan Meyer, who tied for 20th at the U.S. Open in his professional debut, and Chilean teen Joaquin Niemann highlight a strong collection of rising talent. … The field also features two of college golf’s top award winners in 2018, now playing as pros. U.S. Amateur runner-up Doug Ghim (Texas) captured the Hogan Award, while Oregon’s Norman Xiong took home the Nicklaus and Haskins awards. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: DeChambeau, who owns five top-5 finishes this season and two more top-10s, has a chance to take over the FedExCup points lead if he can repeat as champion. He arrives at Deere Run 435 points behind Dustin Johnson. … Molinari hopes a week off didn’t diminish the form that sparked his runaway at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. His eight-shot margin of victory tied the largest on TOUR this season. … Johnson, a Cedar Rapids native, owns seven top-five finishes in his past nine appearances, with three runner-up slots go to with his 2012 win. He’s a combined 148-under par in that stretch; he’s carded even-par or better in 41 of his past 42 Deere Run rounds. … Stricker, twice a winner on the PGA TOUR Champions, seeks again to become the Classic’s first four-time winner. He owns three top-25 finishes in seven TOUR starts, including a share of 20th at the U.S. Open. … The final berth at Carnoustie awaits the highest top-5 finisher who hasn’t already punched his ticket to Scotland. … A total of 14 entrants at Deere Run already are in next week’s Open lineup, including DeChambeau and 2015 champion Johnson. COURSE: TPC Deere Run, 7,268 yards, par 71. Once the site of a long-ago tribal village and later housed an Arabian horse-breeding operation, D.A. Weibring’s 1999 design offers a risk/reward challenge as it winds along the nearby Rock River. Dramatic elevation changes frame several holes, notably the downhill 14th that measures 361 yards but can be set up as a drivable par-4. Typically a place where birdies come in bunches, Deere Run was the locale in 2010 when Paul Goydos carded what was then just the fourth 59 recorded on the PGA TOUR. Eventual winner Steve Stricker shot 60 that day. 72-HOLE RECORD: 258, Steve Stricker (2010). 18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Paul Goydos (1st round, 2010). LAST YEAR: DeChambeau birdied four of his final six holes to claim his first PGA TOUR victory, punctuated by a 14-footer on the 72nd hole that eventually left him one shot ahead of Patrick Rodgers. DeChambeau’s final birdie capped a 6-under-par 65 and initially pulled him alongside Rodgers, who soon saw a par putt lip out at No.17. He then flew the green with his approach at No.18 – though he nearly chipped in from 50 feet that would have forced a playoff. Victory came in DeChambeau’s 40th career start and flipped the tables on a rough spring that saw the former NCAA and U.S. Amateur champion miss eight consecutive cuts. He also became the 19th player to make the Deere his first TOUR victory, a list that includes his boyhood idol Payne Stewart. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (featured groups), 4-7 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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Jordan Spieth’s Scotty Cameron 009 putter was once again the difference-maker in a major championship. Spieth fell out of the lead at The Open Championship for the first time in two days with a bogey on the 13th that dropped him one shot behind Matt Kuchar, but he rebounded in spectacular fashion over the next four holes with a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie run that helped him claim his third major title.  The improbable four-hole stretch was highlighted by a 45-foot eagle putt on the 15th that produced a roar from crowd and a fist-pump from Spieth. The Anser-style putter has been in the bag for every one of Spieth’s victories since he turned professional. The 350-gram putter has 4 degrees of loft and a lie angle of 71 degrees. The head, which is made from a soft carbon steel, has an oil can finish that’s since worn off and rusted over time to produce a well-worn look. “The 009 was my favorite putter [as a junior golfer]” Spieth said. “Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy, two of my favorite golfers, used it, and that got me. I’ve been using it since I was 15, and I won’t be changing anytime soon.” As you’d expect with a putter used by one of the best golfers in the world, there are a few subtle differences between Spieth’s 009 and the retail Scotty Cameron Newport — namely a flatter, thicker topline, wider body from front to back and soft, rounded edges. Spieth made one change to his equipment at Royal Birkdale, removing his Titleist 916H2 hybrid and replacing it with a Titleist 718 T-MB 3-iron. While the club has the same Graphite Design Tour AD-DI shaft as his hybrid, Spieth opted to go up 10 grams from the 95X to 105X to give it a slightly heavier feel.   Titleist recently introduced the new T-MB, along with the rest of the 718 iron lineup, at Quicken Loans National. The latest version has a tungsten insert that no longer covers a majority of the sole but instead wraps around the heel and toe. The hot face has made it a popular long-iron alternative for Tour players.   Here’s a look at the rest of the Titleist equipment in Spieth’s bag.  Driver: Titleist 915D2 (Aldila NV 2KXV Blue 70X shaft), 9.5 degrees 3-wood: Titleist 915F (Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 7X shaft), 15 degrees Irons: Titleist 718 T-MB (3-iron; Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 105X shaft), Titleist 716 T-MB (4-iron; True Temper Project X 6.5 shaft), Titleist 716 AP2 (5-9; True Temper Project X 6.5 shafts) Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (52-08F degrees; True Temper Project X 6.5 shaft), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (46-08F, 56-10S and 60-04L degrees; True Temper Project X 6.0 shafts) Putter: Scotty Cameron 009 Prototype (SuperStroke Flatso 1.0 grip) Ball: Titleist Pro V1X

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